AN Ulverston who has a genetic condition where tumours grow within her nervous system has decided to stand against the condition.

Kerry Sharp, 36, from Victoria Park, Ulverston was diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis Type 2 (NF2) when she was just 14-years-old.

Ms Sharp said: "This condition is rare and causes benign tumours to grow within the nervous system, the most common ones in NF2 are on the hearing nerves within the brain.

"Mum had tumours on both her hearing nerves and she had to have them removed at Addenbrookes in Cambridge - this caused her to lose her hearing completely.

"She had many health issues because of the condition."

Her mother was diagnosed with the condition in 1989.

Losing her hearing affected her balance which led to a fall where she broke her elbow.

Ms Sharp said: "She never wanted to be a burden so she didn't tell anyone how badly she was hurt.

"When she went to hospital the break was that bad that she needed an operation.

"She then got an infection and she got really poorly. She deteriorated quite quickly after that and died in January 2013, aged 55."

The chance of passing NF2 on to your children is 50/50 but unfortunately both Ms Sharp and her brother Kevin have tested positive for it.

Ms Sharp said: "She felt a lot of guilt when she found out me and Kevin had it - but it was something that couldn't be helped."

Due to the location of the tumours, they are not removed unless there are symptoms of deafness, as the operation to remove them causes irreversible damage to the hearing nerve.

Ms Sharp said:  "I noticed a hearing loss in my left ear late in 2013. Tests confirmed that this loss was due to the tumour and I had it removed in March 2014.

"During the 12 hour operation at Salford Royal in Manchester, I had an Auditory Brainstem Implant, which is similar to a cochlear implant and gives me a form of 'electric' hearing."

After the operation Ms Sharp decided to "refocus" her life and is trekking the Great Wall of China in September with her aunt, Susan Botterill.

They will be raising money for The Neuro Foundation, which is the charity for people in the UK with Neurofibromatosis.

Ms Sharp said: "I am a different person now, I am a lot happier. You either let it consume you or you stand against it and make a change."

To donate to Ms Sharp's cause please visit  justgiving.com/Kerry-Sharp2